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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Trips in Reception & Nursery

41 replies

Schmoochypoos · 25/04/2018 07:36

Just wanted to get a general consensus on what type of trip and how many your school nursery and reception aged children have done?

Ours have visited the local church twice, delivered biscuits in the village to the residents and the following have come into school: police, fire brigade, animal protection and pantomime.

They have one trip planned for the summer term where they will go on a coach slightly further afield. Is this the norm? Some parents have voiced concerns that they would have expected visits to the natural history museum/local observatory/science museum.

The children range from 3-5

TIA

OP posts:

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BubblesBuddy · 26/04/2018 19:06

Are you saying that parents would prefer a higher brow trip to museums and the observatory? Was this a question about the type of trip or the coach journey? I think the planned trip sounds fine and museums are usually put on the agenda when children can read and the visit is part of the curriculum. Although EYFS is a curriculum it’s not quite the same as y1 onwards.

GrimSqueaker · 26/04/2018 20:04

High brow trips? At that age?! We've been to the zoo today with year 1 and the thing the kids were most fascinated by was the variety of animal poo. Oh yeah and the play area... and who they sat next to on the bus is always vitally important as well (plus whatever crap they bought in the gift shop if that's being allowed to happen).

Depends what they're doing in terms of topics really where they go - sometimes "obvious" trips are saved for a year group where they're more relevant... so save the observatory for a year group where Space is a topic - might well be they're doing that - but further up the school. Also tends to depend on what topics land in the two summer terms a lot of the time - you don't really want to be doing trips when it's blowing a gale and pissing down with rain if they're outdoor venues (although we got stuck with pretty crap weather today).

Actually last year when my eldest was in Reception at a different school I think they got to go off site twice - once to the church for Christmas, and then their "school trip"... my younger one is in Reception at a different school now and it feels like they're out all the time - they've been up the nature reserve to play Pooh sticks at the bridge (lots of talk about first, last, comparing lengths and predictions, plus discussing the idea of water flowing etc... so not just a nice jolly out), they've been round the local area ticking off all the local landmarks they could see, been finding animal tracks in the local woodland and laying tracks to follow, to the library umpteen times, to the recycling area at the supermarket... they get bloody everywhere! Also had loads of different groups and people in to talk to the classes as well. One big "trip" where they go off on the coach - but umpteen smaller learning opportunities within the local area.

Ironically the school where they never got to go off site is located completely in the centre of a park - which they only use once or twice a year for a post-SATs fling the year 6s out to blow off some steam session. Such a bloody wasted opportunity there (the school grounds are shit as well so it's not even like they've got resources in-school).

TeaBelle · 26/04/2018 20:06

My dd is in a private nursery and has done no trips yet although she has done a term of forest school but that it directly outside the nursery.

Ginnotginger · 26/04/2018 22:01

My DGS was taken to a farm last year when he was at Nursery. This was organised by the new nursery teacher before that nursery trips were unheard of.
He changed schools for Reception and in the first term he went to the safari park to see Father Christmas - trip was by coach and 14 of 30 pupils didn't attend due to having chickenpox. Nursery went to the cinema.
This week DGS went to a fairly local forest school for the day, again by coach, and according to the summer term newsletter Reception will be taken on another trip later this term (details to follow, apparantly). I know Nursery have also been on a trip recently but I don't know where they went except, again, it was a coach trip.
The school seems to organise a fair number of trips and visits but I haven't seen any mention of residential trips for any year group and given that the website has a blog which is updated several times per week, if such a trip had taken place it would have been mentioned.

mindutopia · 27/04/2018 12:23

Nursery I think mine went to santa’s grotto every year and that was about it. Though they took walks around the village quite often, but I wouldn’t consider that a ‘trip.’

Since starting reception, they’ve done two trips to Tesco and Pizza Express as part of their farm to table and healthy eating modules. They also went for a day to an environmental education centre and to a local natural history museum. They also went to a Christmas lunch and then to a local venue for carols and a sort of Christmas party.

Most trips are subsidised by the parents org which holds fundraisers but we are asked to pay a small voluntary contribution (usually £3-10). They usually take a coach, but one trip they walked as it was close.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 27/04/2018 12:39

One in reception to the local science museum and one to the cafe about a hundred metres from school.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 27/04/2018 12:39

None in year one.
Also in reception they went to library and adventure playground

Leyani · 28/04/2018 07:07

Local things only except a trip to the pantomime - out of school: an activity on road safety, library and a museum. Came to school: a visit by animal protection, and a couple of scientists and an author

Original poster

Schmoochypoos · 28/04/2018 22:42

Thanks everyone.

Yes a couple of parents have questioned why the children haven’t been taken on a trip to say the Natural History Museum- to link in with their topic of dinosaurs or to the Science Museum because they’ve been doing about space.

I personally don’t agree with them.

Glad to see it seems like what the Early Years team is doing is the norm.

OP posts:

viques · 01/05/2018 14:32

OP have you ever been to the Natural History Museum in term time and see the scrum? Dante could have used it as another level of Hell.

I would not be in any hurry to take a group of reception children there, I would go so far as to say that I think Y3 and above would get more from the experience as a school visit.

Sounds as though your child's school is doing good sensible visits, encouraging children to use their eyes to see familiar things afresh, teaching them how to behave on a school trip in a controlled environment, using the experience to enhance learning and development.in the classroom. Plenty of time yet for the lost spending money, massed toilet trips and drinks spilled inside the lunch box excitement of long distance coach trips.

Lalalaleah · 03/05/2018 08:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

drspouse · 03/05/2018 11:45

Nursery - I think they went to ride on a public bus, and took some walks around near the nursery (to see the ducks for example). Both DCs have got more in the way of outings from the CM which is one reason they do/did both (the CM excitingly lives right next to the fire station!)

Reception - there was a panto trip with the rest of the school but we didn't send DS as he gets sick, he was only one of 2 that didn't go, we were very surprised as it was quite far. Then one further trip 10 minutes on a coach to plant some trees (I think they must have got a grant to do that one as it seems quite a way plus they could have gone on the public bus virtually for free if they went in the autumn when most were still 4).
Walk to the post office, walk to the library, that sort of thing, also.

Y1 - he did go on the panto trip, then MoSI (we are NW) last term and a zoo (expecting much talk of poo and the coach again!) this term. Also a walk to the bigger park up the hill.

drspouse · 03/05/2018 11:45

Oh yes also Reception went to see Father Christmas at a farm.

RainbowdropsandUnicorns · 05/05/2018 09:50

In Nursery we've had one trip to a local allotment.

MonumentVal · 05/05/2018 10:04

Lots of local trips for mine - nature reserve 5 minutes walk away, church over the road, Homebase and other local shops.
Ds did go to the NHM in Reception, but as so many kids had limited English (and parent helpers ditto) and not-yet-diagnosed SN, they decided a coach was needed. So we had to fundraise for that. By summer Y1 the classes were deemed safe to go on trains and the tube so there's a trip each term now.

sothisisspring · 05/05/2018 14:14

In nursery - one trip per year. A couple of local trips eg to the shop perhaps but not for every child.

In reception - Christmas trip and then maybe one or to others that fit in with the curriculum.

Most of the cost is always the coach, and they aren't very safe for lots of reception age, I wouldn't be happy with my preschool child on a coach. (No public transport here and most trips involve motorway travel.)

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